Shadow Embraced
by Cherry Blossom
Summary: Well Dorothy's still a vampyre and she meets up with Mr. I-hate-humans-Loki and learns about a new prophesy which may or may not involve her and the end of the world. And then proceeds to go on a shopping spree with Hilde.
1. Prologue

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Cherry Blossom: ::sigh:: Why are you making me do this? You know I can't write horror.

Matteo: It's time to widen your portfolio selection. Besides, this idea has been running through your head ever since Elf made that challenge about wanting a GW vampire fic.

Cherry Blossom: Yeah but I chucked it 'cause I CAN'T WRITE HORROR!

Matteo: So what? Look, I'll help you out.

Cherry Blossom: Oh very comforting. This is gonna bomb I just know it.

Matteo: You know I won't leave you alone until you write it…

Cherry Blossom: Oh, fine. Just let me write the damn story.

Matteo: ^__^ I always get my way.

Cherry Blossom: __

Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Wing. So there.

Notes: I know absolutely nothing about vampires. I have never even set foot in the Anne Rice section. I don't know what I'm doing. Help me! Send info! Send pictures! Send ideas! Don't leave me here in my ignorance! And don't blame me if I get some things totally wrong. That being said, enjoy the fic. 

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Wrap me up in always 

your innocence is treasure  __

your innocence is death 

your innocence is all I have 

breathing under water, and living under glass

-Thru the Eyes of Ruby

Smashing Pumpkins

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Shadow Embraced - Prologue

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It was all Quatre's fault anyway. If he hadn't dug into my soul and found my long discarded conscience then I would never have allowed myself to become close to them…the humans. I could have just kept on living my eternal life in blissful carnage, taking my meals when I could, slipping in and out of shadows, peaceful. Well…as peaceful as my kind can get. 

I've probably confused you. "My kind", "human". You're probably saying, "but aren't you human as well?"

I used to be. A very long time ago I was a girl like any other. My name was Lady Danica DeLamanka, third daughter of the house of Kesla, favorite child of Lord Ryukin DeLamanka, practically royalty. Not that that means anything to you. That girl is long dead. Her life was stolen from her centuries ago.

But there, I've confused you again. Let me put it this way; I belong to the Society of Nosferatu…what some might call "vampyres". I prefer the term "terminally undead" myself. Ah, now you understand. Nearly everyone has heard some piece of mythology about us creatures of the night. Some of the misconceptions are downright hilarious. I mean honestly, turning into ash the moment a ray of sunlight hits our skin? Ridiculous. I am perfectly capable of walking down the street on a sunny afternoon without spontaneously combusting, although I _am_ partial to severe sunburns…I prefer the night. And as far a s I know neither crosses nor holy water can harm my person. However a well-placed stake to the heart will kill me, as will decapitation. But you would have a hard time trying it. I was trained in combat by Master Chen Ten Tsu way back in 1882. Plus, until recently, I had a whole range of nifty psychic abilities to help me out. But now my powers have receded to the point where a well-trained human could take me out. It's pathetic really. And it's all that damned blond Arabian's fault!

You see, unlike popular folklore, vampyres _do_ have souls. I can feel guilt over the people whose lives I took, whose blood I consumed. But it's not like I could do anything about it. Vampyres need to drink the blood of a living being at least once a week or they _will die_. And it's not a pretty death either. Picture yourself wasting away until you look like a Holocaust victim and you might get an idea of what it's like. And all the while there's this burning thirst…

But getting back to the point, I had a soul, I just didn't have a conscience. Humans, to me, were like a very intelligent species of animal. Amusing to observe, sometimes worthy of admiration, but in the end they were just another meal. Food for thought. Not my concern. Still, I couldn't help but feel a little sorry for the poor creatures. After all, I was so much stronger and they were practically helpless. But I wasn't so guilt ridden that I would stop feeding. One can admire the strength and beauty of a deer and still eat it. 

Miss Relena once asked me why I enjoyed battle so much. I rattled off some speech about how "only war reveals the true glorious nature of human" or some such nonsense. But the real reason was guilt. You see I made it a habit to only take the blood of soldiers. I figured that since they were prepared to die at any given moment anyway, it was better than draining civilians. It was my way of justifying myself. And it was working too, dammit.

For over 800 years I had lived this way, taking my nourishment from, if not willing, certainly deserving soldiers, developing my abilities to the point where I would be able to protect myself against the strongest of my kind. Vampyres aren't known for their friendly natures. 

There was no shortage of battles for me to pick and choose from. Life—er, _death_ was good. Until I met _him_ of course. Quatre Raberba Winner. I knew as soon as I saw him that he was different…special. He had an aura about him that was unlike any I had previously encountered, a beam of true kindness and love. At first I thought that he might be one of those "pure souls" I had heard so much about, a fallen angel perhaps. But no, his heart beat the same as those around him. His blood was still red. 

I'm ashamed to admit it now but I've often wondered if his blood would taste somehow sweeter then that of other humans, fantasized about draining him dry to satisfy my curiosity. I would have killed him without a second thought not too long ago. Would have fed off his blood in feral, beastly hunger…feeding is a sensual experience for a vampyre. No other intimacy comes close. That's why so many victims are willing, for just an instant, to give their life a way for a taste of that pleasure. Quatre wouldn't have disappointed me. And besides, his aura would have given my powers a definite boost. I could become the most powerful being in the universe…

It was the confrontation on Libra when I discovered his true power. 

Empathy, honed to the point of telepathy almost, was not a weapon I had expected to be assaulted with as we dueled. It was his concern, his desperate need to _understand why I was doing this_ that finally opened my mind to him, opened my soul. And he saw, saw me for the monster I truly was…and then he forgave me. Told me I was kind. I thought that he was nuts.

But then something strange happened. His mind opened up to me and I could see the contents of his soul as clearly as he saw mine. And for the first time, I _understood_. I saw what it meant to be human. I saw the joy and pain and love that I had left behind so many years ago, the fierce beauty and fragility of life, so precious in Quatre's eyes. I caught hold of my lost humanity, and I mourned for it, the first tears I had shed since I was changed. And I knew that I could not continue to drain soldiers of their lifeblood anymore.

Oh, I still drink blood. If I didn't then I'd be dead and I'm not willing to sacrifice myself just yet. But I don't kill anymore. You'd be surprised how little blood a vampyre can survive on. Two, maybe three CCs a week. Of course, there are drawbacks to only taking the sufficient amount to live on. For instance, my psychic powers have faded into nothing now and my strength had diminished greatly. My reflexes are not as quick as they used to be and even my night vision was affected. 

But I have discovered a kinship, an affection even, for the humans I once regarded as only food. I am no longer alone. I have…friends.

Hilde Shebieker was one of my best friends…

And now I regret ever seeing her face. I should have left well enough alone, should have stayed with my own kind.

What we have unleashed upon the world…

For the first time in centuries, I am afraid.

Dorothy Catalonia __

February 10th, A.C. 196

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Cherry Blossom: Well…that was interesting.

Matteo: Why Dorothy?

Cherry Blossom: It's the skin. No one can be that pale and not be dead.

Matteo: Hey, what's the whole Hilde thing anyway?

Cherry Blossom: For me to know and you to find out. Don't worry Elf, Duo is gonna have a _big_ part in this series. Hilde too. That is, if you want me to continue.

Matteo: Review!

Cherry Blossom: Onegi! 


	2. Chapter One

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Cherry Blossom: Well I'm glad some people decided this fic was worthwhile and reviewed.

Matteo: Yeah it was getting kinda scary there for a moment. 

Cherry Blossom: Hey, this fic might not bring in a whole bunch of reviews but I'll stick with it anyway. I haven't chucked a story yet.

Matteo: What about that Sailor Moon thingie?

Cherry Blossom: …that wasn't chucked. It was discontinued.

Matteo: Oh big distinction there.

Cherry Blossom: Just…shut up.

Matteo: : P

Cherry Blossom: Oh and Lara, this is the next chapter. Happy? Good. So…where's my DuoxHilde lemon, hmmm? Where is it?

Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Wing. So there.

Notes: This fic has no Yaoi in it. Not because I don't like Yaoi (take a look at my other fics) but just because I wanted to try something different. Now the pairings are probably going to be something like this: DuoxHilde (just 'cause I like this pair), QuatrexDorothy ('cause it's so damn interesting!), TrowaxMidii (for green-chan who likes this pair), and the rest I'm making up as I go along…if I include the others. I don't quite know what I'm doing as of yet but…I'll figure it out. Hopefully. Oh crap. 
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And if you spin your love around the secrets of your dreams

you may find your love is gone 

and is not quite what it seemed 

to appear 

to disappear 

beneath all your darkest fears

- Thru the Eyes of Ruby

Smashing Pumpkins

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Shadow Embraced – Chapter 1

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I suppose my first clue that the shit was about to hit the fan was Midii's message. I hadn't thought anything of it at the time but I really should have been paying more attention. Still, it wasn't very threatening, at least not to _me_. Midii was one of my best friends, and the only other person besides Quatre who knew who I truly was. That in itself should have told you the amount of trust between us. Of course, Midii had her own secrets, some that even I couldn't get her to open up about. You see Midii wasn't like other humans around her, she was different. I believe they have different cults that boast the kind of power that Midii has been trying to keep underwraps since her youth. Wicca and other pagan societies. We always use to call them mystics, us being the vampyres of course. But you'd probably know her better as a witch.

Vampyres and witches never really got along. Both sides usually kept to their own kind unless some emergency forced them to work together. I can't even remember the last time that ever happened, if it ever happened at all. 

But Midii was different. She was cast out of her own clan for doing something others have not dared to do: she loved a human. 

We have a lot in common, Midii and I.

Dorothy Catalonia __

February 5th, A.C. 196

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Dorothy wandered through the alleyways of downtown Soho, trying to ignore the fact that it was nearly 8 o'clock in the morning and she still hadn't found anything to eat. Sure the usual amount of crazies and bums were out but Dorothy didn't want to take from _them_.

"Who knows what filthy disease's they've got running through their systems?" she muttered, hopping a gutter with an easy grace that conveyed the slight (okay, _large_) predatory nature of her intent. Hunting used to be much easier. There used to be hundreds of soldiers, all conveniently gathered in one place, all in perfectly good health, just begging her to take their blood. Feast after feast was laid out for her and no one monitored her eating habits at all. And Dorothy could never get fat…

Smiling slightly, Dorothy drew her fingers slowly across her throat, almost tasting the sweet flow of red nectar that would wash her hunger away. Then she scowled.

'No chance of that now. Total pacifism has taken its hold on the earth, thanks to Miss Relena's meddling. And besides which, there is Quatre…'

Ah yes, Quatre. That maddening little Arabian had taken to observing Dorothy's feeding patterns. Not that she ever killed anybody nowadays. Oh no, the guilt was far too developed for that. But she did forget every once in a while and feed a bit too hard…hey a few days of severe anemia is not that bad. 

'They should just be glad that they're not dead.'

Still, whenever Quatre got wind of Dorothy's little slip ups he would call her to him and ask her about it. And then his face would get all hurt and puppy-doggish and Dorothy would feel like scum. So…

No unauthorized snacks.

Which was unfortunate because Dorothy was very, _very_ hungry tonight. She observed a group of children playing baseball in the street and had to tear her eyes away from their frantically beating pulses.

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'No children,' she scolded herself. _'Quatre would never forgive me'._

Dorothy walked on, peeking through the different shop windows that lined the city's main square. Usually she could find a willing donor at a bar. But Dorothy didn't much like the taste of an alcoholic's blood, or the headache it gave her later on.

Deep in her own musings, Dorothy was startled when her wanderings took her straight to the door of an old friend, a very old friend.

Midii Une.

The shop window read _Yolandra's Magic Shoppe—charms, books, and potions._

The shop was actually just a cover up. A little something for the tourists, not real magic. Yolandra didn't even exist. If you were really after some magic supplies you would enter through the back door (actually it was a side door but let's not be picky) that had the symbol of Midii's clan, or what _used_ to be her clan, a blood red lily with silver tipped leaves. This door is protected by a warding spell, which means only witches and other immortals allowed. Not just anyone can get in. If a mortal tried to get through it would lock tight. If a malevolent spirit tried to get through it would hurt like hell. Dorothy just happened to belong to the 'in-group'. She pushed on the door and it swung open. Easy.

"Midii, you home?"

The place was dark but that was usual for a Sunday morning. Dorothy could here a rattling coming from one of the back rooms. She headed in that direction.

"Midii?"

Dorothy paused at the door, unwilling to interrupt her friend if she was in the middle of a spell or something…she decided to just knock.

The rattling stopped. After a few moments of silence the door creaked open to reveal a cloud of light blond hair framing a small heart-shaped face. Below the shock of hair blinked a pair of deep blue eyes, lined by heavy dark brown lashes, a small, slightly pointed, nose, and a pair of deep red lips that were curved open in an expression of surprise.

"Dorothy! I didn't hear you come in."

Dorothy laughed softly and said, "I can be really silent when I want to be. What are you up to, Midii? You don't usually lock yourself away in your study at this hour. Must be something important…"

A guilty look crossed the smaller girl's face but she quickly pushed it aside and said, "Oh no, nothing important at all, actually. So what brings you here, Doro-chan? Weren't you supposed to be meeting Quatre today, hmm?"

Midii's eyebrows wiggled up and down suggestively at the mention of the young Winner heir. Dorothy rolled her eyes in disgust.

"Don't look at me like that. He's only checking up on me once again, making sure I don't take over the city or something. It's damn irritating the way he thinks he can control my life!"

"I was under the impression that you actually enjoyed these meetings with him Doro-chan," Midii laughed. "You can't lie to me. You like him, don't you?"

Dorothy glared at her friend. "Don't change the subject. What were you doing that was so enthralling you couldn't hear me come in."

Midii grabbed a lock of her hair and twisted it around her finger, a nervous habit. Midii never was good at poker.

"I was just going through some old files. Nothing interesting, at least, not to _you_."

"Well then you won't mind if I come in," Dorothy reasoned as she swept past Midii into the room and looked around.

The place was a mess, papers everywhere and there was a strange smell, like incense or something burning. 

"See?" Midii said, standing a bit behind Dorothy. "Nothing interesting at all."

Dorothy walked over to one of the desks and lifted up the file closest to her. She read the title. 

"Trowa Barton…" 

Her gaze snapped up to look at Midii who now looked even more nervous and a bit ashamed.

"I...it's just for research. About the gundams…"

Dorothy flipped the cover open to reveal a nice colour photo of gundam pilot 03, long shock of brown hair falling over his face, visible jungle green eye gazing off into another direction. Dorothy observed the picture critically. He was handsome enough, but really nothing compared to her Quatre…

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'My Quatre? Where the hell did that come from?' 

Dorothy shook her head and shifted her gaze down to the article below the photo.

Name: Unknown

Codename: Trowa Barton

Age: Unknown (14-18)

Sex: Male

Birthdate: Unknown

Nationality: Unknown / Caucasian

Eye Colour: Green

Hair Colour: Brown

Height: Unknown

Weight: Unknown

Blood Type: Unknown

Origin: Unknown

Spouse: Unknown

Family: Unknown

Skills: Aerobatics, Auxiliary, Unknown

Interests: Reading, Music, Aerobatics, Animals, Unknown

Subject's past remains unrevealed even after months of questioning. He never engages in conversations and when pressed to talk his responses are generally limited to as few words as necessary. He rarely, if ever, talks of his past. He never gives his name or background information about himself freely, and only the deepest mind-searches to uncover his name will reveal anything, and only then his codename, Trowa Barton. He if he does speak of his prior life, he will speak of the circus and from his cat-like movements and aerobatics skill one could easily assume he was a performer at a circus in his past. While this may or may not be true, it is apparent there is more to him than a boy who was a former circus performer. His appearance is always cool, calm and collected. He fears nothing. He enjoys solitude and is never fond of interior places because of his dislike of noise. On occasion one might catch him unaware, looking off into the distance, lost in the secluded memories of his mind. Only then might one catch a glimpse of the face of the boy in his essence and not the solider-like appearance he puts out.

Dorothy glanced up at Midii who was now biting her lip hard enough to draw blood, which wouldn't have done Dorothy any good at the moment. 

"Midii…"

"It was OZ's file, okay? I took it out of their database a long time ago. It was a long time ago—"

"Still hurts, hm?"

Midii's eyes closed and her head dropped down to her chest, defeated.

"Every minute of every day," she whispered. "I still love him Dor. I just can't let go."

"Then why don't you go see him? It's been so long, he can't still be mad. I'll get Quatre to give me his address and—"

"No!"

Midii's harsh protest startled Dorothy and she took a step back in surprise. Midii's hands were clenched so tight they were turning white and her shoulders had started to shake.

"Midii…"

"No! You don't know! You don't know what happened. He'll never forgive me, never. You don't know…"

"I will never know unless you _tell_ _me_ Midii."

The smaller girl's shoulders only shook harder and wet tears slipped silently down her cheeks. Dorothy's anger faded and she rushed over to comfort her friend.

"It's okay. You don't have to see him if you don't want to. It's okay, shh…"

Slowly, Midii's tears dried up and she sniffled loudly, reaching into one of her pockets for a tissue. Dorothy supplied one for her and gave her a little hug.

"Daijobu desu-ka?" Dorothy asked softly.

Midii blew her nose and said a little shakily, "H-hai. Daijobu."

There was an awkward silence for a few minutes until Dorothy finally said, "So…are you behind on rent or something? 'Cause that outfit is just screaming street urchin."

Midii smiled and said, "Oh yeah? And what about _your_ outfit, hmm?"

"There's absolutely nothing wrong with my clothes," Dorothy protested, looking down at her outfit. She was dressed in an impossibly short black mini-skirt and a red top covered by a gauzy black material that slightly muted the effect. Wrapped around her shoulders was an open black trench coat with silver buttons down the sides. Her long platinum blond hair hung freely down her back and a silver pendant lay nestled in the hollow of her throat. Her too pale skin looked even more devoid of colour next to the darkness of her clothes and her dainty feet were enclosed in high, leather-topped, high-heeled black boots. She looked exactly like a vampire was supposed to look.

Midii often wondered why Dorothy dressed that way if she didn't want to be discovered, but it was all quite rational in Dorothy's view. No one really believed in vampyres anymore and those that did wouldn't expect a real vampyre to dress like the leading actress in an old monster movie. Dorothy figured she could blend in rather nicely with all the other wannbe vampyres that roamed the streets, trying to look dangerous in their silver chains and black spikes. Sometimes the best place to hide and object is in plain sight…

But anyway, Dorothy's change of subject was a relief to Midii and she tossed her a grateful glance as she headed out of the room.

"So, you never did tell me why you dropped by. Need some supplies, a love potion for this afternoon perhaps?"

Midii fluttered her eyelashes outrageously for a moment and Dorothy laughed.

"Don't try to act cute. I certainly do not need one of your fake love potions for Mr. Raberba Winner."

"Of course not," Midii teased. "You can seduce him all on your own."

Dorothy took a playful swipe at Midii and she ducked under it, laughing.

"Seriously, why _are_ you here?"

Dorothy's eyes got a vacant look in them. "No reason, really. I was just out wandering…" Her hand went to her throat in an unconscious gesture. She was _so_ hungry.

"Have you fed yet?"

Startled at the closeness of the voice, Dorothy looked up. Midii was standing beside her, a look of concern on her face.

Dorothy sighed. "No, not yet. And it's been far too long. I'm _hungry_."

Midii looked troubled. "I wish I could help you out, Dor. But…"

"It's okay," Dorothy waved her off. She knew that Midii couldn't help her in this area. The blood of a witch was like poison to a vampyre. Their systems were just not compatible at all. Something about the balance of magic in the blood…

"I forgot to tell you," Midii said, pulling Dorothy from her reverie. " Loki's in town."

Dorothy's eyes widened a bit. "You mean Loki I-wanna-destroy-the-whole-world Loki?"

"Yep."

"Great," Dorothy sighed. "Well he'd better stay the hell away from me."

Loki was a very disturbed vampyre. There were rumors that he fed off a Norse priestess once and her family wasn't too happy with him. They performed a ceremony and called down a curse on him, making him go crazy, or so the story goes. Dorothy didn't much believe it. She maintained that Loki was probably already crazy before he was changed and becoming a vampyre just made him worse. In either case, Loki wanted to destroy the earth and all humans living on it. Which, was admittedly a very stupid thing to want since without the earth and humans to feed off, vampyres couldn't exist either. Most well-respected vampyres stayed well away from Loki. Still, the guy had a few followers, mostly young vampyres who still haven't let go of their rage at being changed. Dorothy wasn't especially worried, though. Neither Loki nor his followers had the power to actually destroy the earth. All the powerful vampyres were quite comfortable with the way things were, they had no wish to change it.

"Just thought I'd let you know," Midii said. "Everyone's talking about it."

By everyone, Midii meant the _Lunis Iscariot_: A clan of mystics that were relatively peaceful. Certainly they did not meddle in mortal affairs like other groups and they were not openly hostile to vampyres, although Dorothy wouldn't exactly call them friends. Long ago, Midii had once belonged to her own clan of mystics, but they had disowned her when they found out about her love for a human, namely Trowa Barton. Evidently they had cut Midii off from most of her powers and made her an outcast in most of the witch society. Dorothy still didn't know what exactly happened to her friend but she knew that it must have been painful and she harbored an intense resentment for the family that would dare put her through that kind of pain.

"Thanks for telling me. I'll be sure to stay away from him. That guy creeps me out."

"He creeps _you_ out? Dorothy, the baddest vampyre-babe in history is afraid of little old lunatic Loki? I'm in shock."

Dorothy rolled her eyes and snorted, "Afraid? Yeah, right. I think that blond hair of yours is finally getting to you Midii."

"Speaking of blondes," Midii remarked. "Weren't you supposed to go see Quatre soon?"

Dorothy looked at the clock on the wall and cursed.

"Great. Now I'm going to be late. Sorry Midii-chan but I've got to go."

Midii smiled. "Then go, by all means. Can't keep your koi waiting."

Dorothy gave Midii a glare that could have wilted flowers.

"You know, one of these days I'm going to lose my patience with you."

Midii just smiled wider. "Patience? You?"

"Just keep it up," Dorothy growled, taking a menacing step towards Midii.

Midii took a step back and said, "You're going to be late if you keep hanging around here."

Dorothy tossed one last snarl Midii's way and then vaulted herself out the door and down the street towards the Winner Corporations Complex. She had a date.

Quatre paced nervously around the room, almost wearing a hole in his brand new carpet with his incessant motion. It was almost 10 o'clock. Dorothy was supposed to meet him here at 9:30. So where was she?

'I'm not anxious,' he told himself. 'I'm not. I'm just concerned about her welfare, that's all. I just want to make sure she's not doing anything…immoral.' Ever since he first laid eyes on Dorothy he knew that there was something different about her, something dangerous. He didn't quite know how to explain it but whenever she walked into the room she would bring this presence with her, a darkness that pulsed and throbbed. She was evil and yet…she wasn't. Quatre could sense that underneath all that bloodthirst was really a kind and gentle person. He had proved that point when Dorothy cried. No truly evil being can cry.  'Dorothy…'

He could picture her in his mind's eye. Her long blond hair sweeping down her back, her pale, porcelain-like skin, those light blue eyes that could turn as cold as ice one moment and flash with heat and passion the next. She was beautiful. 

'I'm in love with a demon.'

Quatre had realized his feeling for Dorothy very early on. He knew that he loved her with all his heart and he longed to take from her the pain he saw whenever she allowed her emotions to get the best of her. Quatre knew that Dorothy loved him as well. He could see it in her eyes, the way she fiddled with her hands whenever they were in the same room together. But Quatre also knew that Dorothy wasn't ready to admit that she loved him just yet. Which was fine with Quatre. He didn't want to push her. He was happy just being with her, providing comfort from time to time.

A sudden noise at the window made Quatre start and he turned around defensively just in time to see Dorothy slip through. 

"Morning Kat. You really should have more security around here. I got in with no problem. How's things?"

"Do you ever use the door?" Quatre said dryly.

"But what would be the fun in that?" Dorothy blinked innocently, the small smile belying her innocuous expression. 

"You're late."

"So~rry," she said. "I was checking up on an old friend, okay?"

Quatre sighed and then said, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to snap at you. I just get worried about you."

"I can take care of myself," Dorothy said defensively. "You don't have to baby-sit me."

Quatre sighed again and dropped his head down on his chest, knowing that he had upset her. "I know. But I worry anyway. It's just my nature."

There was silence for a few minutes. Then Dorothy made her way over to stand in front of Quatre, moving with a cat-like grace that nearly screamed "predator". She took one finger and placed it under his chin, tipping up so that he was looking her straight in the eye.

"Then you do whatever 's in your nature and I'll do whatever's in mine," she murmured softly.

"And what might that be?" Quatre asked, bringing his arms around Dorothy's slim waist.

"This," Dorothy answered, bringing his head down towards her lips for a searing kiss. They stayed that way, lips pressed together, until Quatre noticed that she was trebling inside the circle of his arms. He drew back, concerned.

"What's wrong."

"Nothing." But Dorothy couldn't stop shaking and her skin seemed even paler than usual. Quatre took hold of her wrist and noticed how skinny and stick-like it was. The answer came to him.

"You haven't fed, have you?"

Dorothy avoided his eyes and replied, "Not for a week. There's not really that much selection out there I can choose from Quatre and I didn't want another drunk."

Quatre grasped hold of Dorothy's shoulders and shook her a bit.

"You know that you have to feed once a week or you'll die. It was stupid to wait this long."

Dorothy's eyes flashed with anger. 

"First you don't want me to feed off humans. Then you do want me to feed. Make up your Goddamn mind already would you?"

Quatre winced at the coldness in Dorothy's tone. Then he did something completely unexpected. He held his wrist out as if in offering. Dorothy stared at it, confused.

"What?"

"You need to eat," Quatre said calmly. "So eat."

Dorothy visibly recoiled.

"You…you want me to what?"

"I won't have you making yourself sick on my account," Quatre insisted, still holding out his arm. "Go on, feed."

Dorothy shook her head vehemently. "I can't! I can't feed off _you_!"

"Why not? Aren't I good enough for you?"

"That's not what I meant!" Dorothy snapped back. "You don't know what you're asking me to do."

"But I do know," Quatre said, softly. "And I trust you. Please, Dorothy. Will you trust me enough to let me do this for you?"

Dorothy looked at him in silence for a few moments, conflicting expressions of want and fear crossing her features. Finally she sighed and put her hand in Quatre's.

"Fine. But if we're doing this then we're doing it the old fashioned way. It'll hurt less."

Dorothy went to stand behind Quatre, snaking an arm around his waist and using the other to lean his head back on her shoulder. Then she brought her mouth around to the exposed vein at his neck, giving it a gentle kiss before biting down. There was an instant of pain as sharp canine teeth punctured the previously unblemished skin. Then the pain was washed away as Dorothy began to feed, lapping at the sweet red pool of blood that welled up from the puncture marks. Never was Quatre more connected to Dorothy then at this moment. Her defenses were down and she was completely open to him, directly tapping into his own emotions with hers. He could feel her hunger, her satisfaction, her passion, her love for him that she could never reveal on her own. He could feel the magical gift of immortality and the almost animalistic sensuality that came from her in waves. He could even taste the own sweetness of his blood through her and the pleasure of it almost made him collapse. He moaned deeply in his throat and pressed back against Dorothy's mouth, seeking more.

Dorothy could hardly believe that this was happening. This was her secret fantasy. This was what she could not even think of for fear of incurring Quatre's disgust and fear. And now it was really happening. She could taste him, feel him, feel _all_ of him. The warmth of his blood as it slid smoothly down her throat almost made her feel alive again, the feel of his body pressed close against hers was driving her mad. She could hear his heart beat and for once shining instant, pretend that it was hers and she was not dead and that they were just lovers sharing a kiss. It was sinful, it was terrible, it was wicked. But at that moment, Dorothy couldn't have cared less. 

Duo almost skipped up the stairs to Quatre's office, bubbling over with energy and nearly ecstatic joy. He fingered the small velvet jewelry box in his pocket and smiled. Today was the day. 

'I know I shouldn't be bothering Quatre so early in the morning but I just couldn't wait to show him the ring I got for Hilde. I just know she'll love it but I want him to give his opinion first. Quatre always knows what girls like.'

The ring in question was a rather large black sapphire surrounded by tiny diamonds. It was an engagement ring. And tonight, Duo planned to ask Hilde to marry him.

Hilde, his perfect angel. She was the one who had stayed with him all through the war, never once leaving his side even though he had pushed her away often enough, certain that any relationship with him was sure to be a disaster. And now, after all this time he was finally going to ask her to spend her life with him, to make him the happiest man on earth.

'Will she say yes? She's got to say yes. We've been living together for like forever and I know she loves me. Oh God, what'll I do if she says no?'

Duo lost his grin for a second by got it right back.

'Nah. She won't say no. My Hilde-babe loves me and by ten o'clock tonight we're going to be Mr. and Mrs. Maxwell. Hey, maybe Q will let me use one of his beach houses for a honeymoon…'

And with this thought, the braided pilot burst through the office door.

"Hey Q-man, guess what—"

He stopped short. Quatre wasn't alone in the room. In fact he was with a _girl_. This in itself was surprising but what was really surprising was the fact that the girl was _Dorothy_ _Catalonia_, someone Duo wasn't particularly fond of. What was even more surprising was the fact that Dorothy seemed to be giving Quatre one hell of a hickey. And the whole thing was giving Duo a bad feeling although he couldn't really explain why. Then he saw it, the way Quatre's eyes seemed glazed over, almost dead, the extreme paleness of his skin, the way he trembled and lay weakly back against Dorothy who seemed to grow stronger with each second. He saw the blood…

'Oh fuck…' __

To be Continued…

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Cherry Blossom: Uh oh…

Matteo: Well now you've done it. You've shmucked things up. And left everybody with a cliffhanger. 

Cherry Blossom: Sorry, sorry. But I can't write any more tonight and plus this was getting really long. I mean, I don't usually have more than ten pages for each part in a story. I have a feeling this is going to get longer too.

Matteo: Hey, I wonder if anyone is still interested in this? I mean, it's kind of….what's the word I'm looking for?

Cherry Blossom: Weird?

Matteo: Yes. That's it.

Cherry Blossom: ::sigh:: I dunno. I've been watching too much Roswell and this is the result. Sorry. 

Matteo: Well let's put it out there and see the results.

Cherry Blossom: Review onegi! I need feedback! 

__


	3. Chapter Two

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Cherry Blossom: Well here we are, second chapter and I still have no clue what I'm doing.

Matteo: Well that's no surprise.

Cherry Blossom: Quiet you. : P

Matteo: Did anybody notice those lyrics you put at the beginning of every chapter?

Cherry Blossom: Yeah. SP goodness. I use the song for inspiration. Plus it perfectly mirrors what's going on in the chapter. 

Matteo: You just want to display how big a rabid fan you are.

Cherry Blossom: ….just read the damn fic.

Matteo: Have fun! 

Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Wing. So there.

Notes: This fic is getting quite complicated so I don't blame you if you get kind of confused. I'm just making up most of this stuff as I go along. Don't worry. I'll figure it out sooner or later =^__^= In the meantime…I've kind of taken over Dorothy's character. I mean, the way she talks is really, really sarcastic so it might seem a little OOC to you. Or it might not. I've always thought that Dorothy was extremely sarcastic the way she fawned all over Relena and her ideals. Either that or she really believed all that junk she was spewing O.o Special thanks to green-chan for her help and comments. And if you're thinking what I'm thinking then yes Hilde is going to be what you think she is but don't tell anybody 'cause they might not be thinking about what you think you're thinking yet. Okay, I've just confused myself. @_@

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__

I believe in never, 

I believe in all the way 

but belief is not to notice, 

belief is just some faith 

and faith can't help you to escape 

- Thru the Eyes of Ruby

Smashing Pumpkins

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Shadow Embraced – Chapter 2

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It's Murphy's Law, I think, that says "whatever can go wrong will go wrong". Personally I think it's just God trying to get back at me because I won't just be normal like everyone else. He's probably up there on his cloud or throne or whatever just laughing his ass off at the misfortunes of the poor little vampyre girl who wouldn't die. At least, that's my theory.

That's why I wasn't the least bit surprised when Duo Maxwell interrupted probably the best feeding experience of my life. A little put out maybe, but not surprised. A little irritated, but not surprised. A little _pissed,_ but not surprised. 

Duo Maxwell never liked me. Which was fine because I was never overly fond of him. However his mate (girlfriend, lover, mistress, whatever they're calling them these days) was a good friend of mine. She had a taste for Goth dressing (some of my better vamp outfits were copies off of her) and I could always count on Hilde for a fun time. Maybe she wasn't as close a friend to me as Midii, heaven knows I never told her about my little "immortality gig", but we were close. Which is why I didn't just kill Duo Maxwell were he stood.

Well…and the fact that Quatre would never forgive me if I had. Plus bloodstains are really hard to get out of Persian carpets. 

And I had that whole guilt issue, of course.

Sucks to be me. Literally. 

Dorothy Catalonia February 5, A.C. 196

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Vampyre. Dorothy was a vampyre. 

__

'I should have known,' Duo thought furiously at himself. _'I should have seen it. God knows all the signs were there. The way she never ate in front of other people, the way she flinched whenever confronted with bright sunshine, the way her skin was always so pale, so unnaturally devoid of blood, those cold icy eyes, her heartless bitchy nature.'_

Actually, Duo had to admit that she was getting better at socializing with other people. She had even befriended his girlfriend, Hilde, and that was no easy task. His Hilde was usually such a good judge of character…

'Well she was way off this time, wasn't she? How the hell am I supposed to deal with this?'

~flashback~

Duo could remember the first time he ever saw a vampyre. It was when he was just a child, still living on the streets of L2, still scraping for food in the garbage. At the time there was a large concern about a certain plague that stripped victims of their strength and appetite until they eventually died. It was strange how the virus only took the poor and homeless. There were rumors that the rich had developed a vaccine but would not share it with the public because they wanted to "get rid of the deadweight on the colony". There were also rumors that it was something else. Something more…sinister. Duo could remember the way Solo had looked before he died; skin pale and sweaty, eyes bright and staring. His body was so cold, like there wasn't any blood within him to heat the skin, and there were those marks...

Two puncture marks in the hollow of his neck. Duo had stolen what was supposed to be an antidote from some big fancy hospital. It was later discovered that the solution was only a mixture of water and sugar. There was no cure. The hospital was only offering placebo to help calm the panicked citizens. 

Later on, Duo had taken over Solo's duties as gang leader and was currently scouting what looked like a good place to hide out when he came upon a man, lying in the shadows. When Duo had stepped closer he saw that the man looked young, yet his hair was completely white and it spilled down over his shoulders. His skin was a light olive colour and his features were delicate. His clothing was new and fine, despite being covered in dirt and, by the strange coppery smell in the air, blood. 

"Sir?"

Duo crouched down next to the man and shook his shoulder, hard. The man did not move. Sighing, Duo began to check through the man's pockets for his wallet. No sense in letting a good opportunity like this go to waste.

"You!"

The man's hand suddenly shot up, grabbing hold of Duo's arm in a tight, bone-crushing grip.

"Ahhh! Leggo! I wasn't doing nothin'!"

Duo tried to pull away, punching the man with his other arm with all his strength. He didn't even seem to notice it. Duo looked up into the man's face and what he saw there frightened him more than anything he ever saw in his life did. The man's eyes were blank, _dead_. This man was dead. It didn't matter that he was moving or talking. This man was _dead_.

"What the fuck are you?" Duo asked, his voice trembling.

The _thing_ seemed to consider this question for a moment before grinning in a horrifying, bloody smile. "I am the night. I am the dark. I am your fear. I am Nosferatu. And I am _hungry._"

He started to bring the boy's hand slowly up towards his open, grinning mouth. Gasping, Duo flung out his legs in a hard kick to the creature's stomach. He didn't even flinch. Duo opened his mouth to scream but before he could, something warm wrapped around his mind and Duo was still. He watched the monster bring his wrist up to his lips with a detached calm, feeling like one drugged. A voice whispered in his ears, soothing words of tranquillity, pacifying the child completely. The monster placed his cool, wet mouth on Duo's wrists, searching for the point where the pulse was the strongest…

Twang. Thunk.

An arrow suddenly shot out of the darkness and planted itself squarely in the monster's left shoulder. He screamed in pain and released both Duo's wrist and mind in its attempt to locate the new threat.

"So you're the one causing all this trouble. I thought you would have learned by now. But I guess I was wrong."

"Maxwell," the monster hissed, drawing back a bit.

A man stepped out of the shadows. He was older than the creature; his black hair streaked with gray, back slightly stooped. But his eyes were hard and resolute and he held a crossbow, fitted with another arrow, steadily in his hands.

"Step away from the boy," the man said, his voice calm.

"Go to Hell," the creature sneered back.

A brief smile crossed the other man's face before he replied, "Sorry, I'd rather not. But why don't you go in my place?"

"Why you—"

The creature's rant was interrupted by the sudden sprouting of a large wooden arrow in his chest. For a few moments nothing happened. Then the creature let out a horrible scream and his entire body seemed to age rapidly in a matter of seconds until it was nothing more than a dried husk. Duo could only stare in shock at the obviously centuries old corpse that lay before him.

"Are you hurt, my child?"

Duo looked up to see the old man hovering anxiously above him, a concerned look on his face. "No, I'm fine. What the hell was that?"

The man seemed to hesitate, his eyes flickering nervously from Duo's face to the shell of the corpse beside him. Then he seemed to come to a decision.

"Do you have a place to stay for the night?"

Duo shook his head. The man smiled and said, "Well then, you can come stay with me at the Maxwell Church."

"Are you a priest or something?" Duo asked, curious. 

The man chuckled. "Or something. But you may call me Father Maxwell. Come along. It's getting quite dark."

Duo held back. "I can't. I've got other people to take care of."

Father Maxwell looked surprised. "You mean family?"

"Yeah," Duo replied. "Something like that."

"Well you can bring them along, too. The church welcomes all homeless you know."

"Really? I can bring them?" Duo jumped up clasped his hand in his excitement. Father Maxwell laughed at his enthusiasm.

"Yes, of course. But we have to hurry before it gets any later."

"Yosh! Let's go then!" Duo took the Father's hand and nearly dragged him through the streets, leading him back to where he had left the others. If they were lucky there would be warm beds and maybe food at this church. And Duo really, really wanted to know what that creature was.

~end of flashback~

Duo reacted instantly, pulling his gun from the folds of his shirt and aiming it just beyond Quatre's left shoulder, at Dorothy's head. He stepped out of the shadows of the room and clicked the safety off of the gun, saying a quick prayer to the heavens. If Dorothy really was what he thought she was, then there was no way in hell that Duo would be able to stop her. But he still had to try, for Quatre's sake. He couldn't just stand by and watch while she drained his best friend. 

"Freeze, demon!"

Dorothy's head shot up and she glared at the intruder furiously, a hiss of displeasure escaping her lips. A small trickle of blood flowed down her chin and the contrast of it against her pale skin was startling. Quatre hadn't moved during this exchange, he was still leaning back on Dorothy, a dreamy expression on his face. Duo could only surmise that she still had control of his mind.

"Release him, demon. Now."

Dorothy licked the sticky trail of blood off her chin and gave Duo a cold smile. "I don't think that would be wise. Mr. Winner is a bit queasy right now and he would probably fall if he didn't have my support."

"That's because you drank his fucking blood you bitch!" Duo spat, still keeping his gun trained on Dorothy. "Now let him go, before I get angry."

"Tsk, such language," Dorothy chided. "I don't think you know what you're up against Maxwell. That gun isn't going to do you or Mr. Winner any good here. Why don't you put it away and we can talk sensibly?"

Duo didn't waver. "Don't try to distract me, bitch. This may not kill you, but it'll still hurt a hell of a lot. You'll be out of commission long enough for me to put a stake through your chest. Now for the last friggin' time move away from Quatre."

Dorothy stared at him for a few minutes before deciding that he was serious and slowly stepped away from Quatre. The young blond Arabian's knees buckled a bit but he managed to catch hold of his desk and keep from sinking to the ground.

"D-Duo…"

"Don't worry Quatre. Everything's going to be okay," Duo assured as he took a step closer to Dorothy.

Dorothy's lips twisted into a scowl. "You'd better leave right now, Maxwell. You don't know what you're dealing with."

Duo laughed. It was a harsh, dark sound that gave Dorothy the chills. "Oh I know exactly what I'm dealing with…vampyre."

~flashback~

"Vampyre. What you saw was a vampyre."

Duo almost choked on the slice of bread that Father Maxwell had given him to munch on, seeing as supper wasn't _quite_ ready yet and the poor kid looked like he was starving…which he was. "You must be joking! Vampyres aren't real. They're just some fairytales used to frighten children."

"Alright," Father Maxwell said. "Then what was it if not a vampyre?"

Duo's brow creased and he thought hard about it for a couple of minutes. "Some weirdo on drugs?"

"What do you think?" 

Duo sighed. "Okay, maybe it wasn't human. But c'mon, a _vampyre_? That's just crazy."

"Not only was that a vampyre," Father Maxwell continued, "It just so happened to be Kumi Shikaze, one of Gabriel's favorite pets."

Duo paused in his chewing. "Gabriel?"

Father Maxwell's face seemed to grow pensive and he fiddled absently with the cross at his neck. "Gabriel is one of the most powerful vampyres. He is a direct descendant of Lilith, the queen of the vampyres…" Father Maxwell registered Duo's blank look and sighed. "It would take much to long to explain all the bloodlines and legends to you. Let's just say that Kumi is by no means the worst of his kind. I have suspected supernatural activity was here on this colony but I couldn't be sure until now. No doubt Gabriel was trying to establish control of this colony now that he's grown tired of earth. This plague is evidence enough of that."

Duo was confused. "What do you mean? Why would feeding off the poor and homeless help this Gabriel guy take over the colony?"

"Gabriel isn't stupid. He knows that the members of OZ and the Romefellor foundation are poised to take over and he plans to use this to his greatest advantage. He's going to change the soldiers until he has an army, an army of vampyres."

Duo's eyes grew wide in horror. "W-what can we do?"

"Well," Father Maxwell said, "Now that Kumi's dead, there'll be a period of grace where they have to regroup. I suspect that by the number of plague victims, nearly half of OZ's army has been changed. I'm going to do the best I can to eradicate the new vampyres. But…" he looked over at Duo with a small smile. "I'm getting kind of old and it isn't so easy to get around anymore. Care to assist me?"

Duo smiled back. "And get a chance to kick some immortal ass? You bet!"

~end of flashback~

Quatre, still slightly dizzy from the feeding experience, stood on shaky legs and made his way over to Duo. "Look I'm fine, Duo. I'm okay. You don't need to protect me from Dorothy because she's not evil!"

Duo laughed again, a hint of a sneer crossing his face. "You've got to be kidding me, Q-man. She drinks the _blood_ of _humans_. If that's not evil, then I don't know what is."

"I may drink but I don't kill. Not anymore," Dorothy stated.

"A reformed vampyre," Duo snorted. "How cute. I don't think so Dorothy." 

"Both of you stop it!" Quatre cried. "This is stupid. You guys aren't enemies!"

"That just shows how much _you_ know," Duo tightened his grip on the trigger.

"Go ahead," hissed Dorothy. "Shoot me. Let's see if you've got the guts, Maxwell."

"No!" Quatre leapt in front of Dorothy, blocking Duo's target. "Please just listen to me!"

"Dammit Quatre," Duo cursed. "Get out of my way."

"I won't! I won't let you shoot her! How can I prove to you that Dorothy wouldn't hurt me?"

Quatre stood still for a few seconds, a tortured look upon his face. Then he seemed to come to a decision. He turned to face Dorothy. "Here," he tilted his head back, displaying the delicate white throat. "Feed. Take it. Take all of it."

Dorothy looked horrified. "What?"

"No!" Duo shrieked in rage. "Quatre you fool! You don't know what you're doing!"

"This is the only way to prove it to you. Go on Dorothy. Take it all. End this now."

Dorothy shook her head, stepping back. "I can't. I can't…"

"Yes you can." Quatre took another step towards her, rubbing the skin just above the two previous puncture marks, making the blood ooze out over the half healed wounds. The coppery smell of Quatre's blood filled the room and Dorothy's fangs resurfaced at the stimulation. Her throat ached. She wanted it, wanted to drain him. And here he was just asking her to…

"Go on. What are you waiting for? _Drink_."

Dorothy couldn't help it. She cradled Quatre's head gently in her hands and brought her lips down to the vein. 

"Quatre…" Duo's voice was hoarse and tense, his finger tightening on the trigger but not daring to pull lest he hit Quatre by accident. 

Dorothy could sense the quickening of Quatre's pulse, smell the blood just waiting for her kiss beneath the surface. She parted her lips…and abruptly pushed Quatre away.

"No! I can't do this! Don't ask me to do this!"

Duo's jaw dropped open in shock as he saw tears mist in Dorothy's eyes and trail down her checks in wet silver trails.

"You…you're crying," He said in amazement. "But demons can't cry."

"You see?" Quatre breathed. "She's not evil. And she hasn't killed since the day we fought on Libra. I can attest to that. Please Duo, trust me."

Duo closed his eyes and lowered his gun, slowly. "I'm going to trust you this time Q-man." He turned to glare at Dorothy. "But this doesn't mean that we're going to be friends now, _vampyre_."

Dorothy sniffed and tossed her hair, the gesture ruined by the fact that she still had tears staining her cheeks. "I can't say that I want to get all chummy with _you, _anyway Maxwell."

Quatre shot her a look that said, "Be nice". Then he turned to face the braided pilot. "Thanks Duo. It means a lot to me. But what was so important that you had to burst into my office at 10 o'clock? You're usually not out of bed until noon."

Duo blushed and said, "Yeah, well I just wanted you to be the first to know…that I'm gonna propose to Hilde tonight."

Quatre gasped and then smiled. "Duo that's great! Did you pick out a ring?"

Duo displayed the box proudly. "Check 'er out. Only cost me three months salary. I've been living off coffee beans and mac and cheese for like forever. But it'll be worth it just to see her face when I present her with _this_."

Dorothy leaned over to get a better view of the ring that Duo was holding out. It was elegant and simple with a large star cut rare black sapphire surrounded by a cluster of glittering diamonds. It practically screamed "Hilde". _'Not bad,'_ Dorothy grudgingly admitted to herself.

"You may be a baka," Dorothy commented. "But you sure have good taste in jewelry."

Duo shot Dorothy a glare and kept on talking to Quatre. "You're invited to the wedding of course, Q. That's is…if she says yes."

"Of course she's going to say yes," Quatre assured. "Oh Duo this is so exciting! I'm so happy for you!"

"What about me?" Dorothy batted her eyes ridiculously. "Aren't I invited to the wedding. I am one of Hilde's best friends, after all."

"You stay the hell away from Hilde," Duo growled. "As of now I'm terminating your friendship."

"Now that's not fair," Dorothy said. "I think you should let Hilde decide."

Quatre saw Duo's shoulder's stiffen and sighed. "Dorothy you're not helping. Maybe you should wait for me outside."

Dorothy clenched her teeth; a little hurt that Quatre was taking Duo's side, but she shrugged her shoulders nonchalantly and said, "Fine. You don't want me here? Then I'll go." Dorothy swept past Duo out into the hall, not once looking back over her shoulder. Quatre watched her go, pain reflecting in his aqua coloured eyes. Duo observed Quatre's expression and said, "I do _not_ want to know what you guys have got going on, okay?"

"Don't worry Duo," Quatre sighed. "I don't think we have anything going on. Not today at least. Now…tell me about how you plan to propose…"

Dorothy walked quickly through the streets, trying to quell her anger. Sure, Duo was Quatre's best friend, but why'd he have to go and brush her off like that? And she had completely humiliated herself by _crying_ in front of Maxwell. 

'This day could not possibly get any worse.'

"Danica. Long time, no see."

Dorothy looked up into a pair of icy blue eyes and shivered.

'I guess I spoke too soon.'

"Hello Loki."

__

To Be Continued…

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Matteo: Yet another cliffhanger.

Cherry Blossom: Shut up. I'm tired. Need sleep. Dream of vampyres.

Matteo: I can't believe you looked up the occult on the net for research. 

Cherry Blossom: Yeah. My mom peeked over my shoulder and asked if I was renouncing my religion. -_-

Matteo: What'd you say?

Cherry Blossom: I said, "yes mom I'm going to become a witch. Don't try and stop me or I'll turn you into a toad."

Matteo: ….and how'd she take it?

Cherry Blossom: I'm grounded for a month.

Matteo: ::starts to laugh::

Cherry Blossom: Shut up.

Matteo: ::stops laughing::

Cherry Blossom: Review! Or I'll turn _you_ into a toad.

Matteo: ::snicker::

Cherry Blossom: Watch yourself muse-boy. I still have my lucky glaive.

Matteo: Yeah I'm so scared midget woman.

Cherry Blossom: That's it…::pulls glaive from hyperspace:: You're gonna die!

Matteo: Eep! ::runs away::

Cherry Blossom: ::prepares to run after him…pauses:: Hey Lara? I read the second part to Bad and it was smeggerific but FF.net won't let me review for some inane reason __. Just so you know I WANT A SEQUAL WITH LEATHER AND BONDAGE AND ALL THAT GOOD STUFF. You know what I mean ^_~ Jaa! ::runs off to catch up to Matteo::


	4. Chapter Three

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Cherry Blossom: Well…it's been awhile—

Matteo: A while? Try a whole frikken YEAR!

Cherry Blossom: Quiet you. : P At least I'm not abandoning it.

Matteo: You might as well be. No one's reading this anymore.

Cherry Blossom: Oh boo. I don't care if no one reads it. This is a present to green-chan to make her feel better 'cause she's been sick, kay?

Matteo: ::grumbles::

Cherry Blossom: Be nice and get on with the fic.

Matteo: Fine, fine. Here's goes nothing…

Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Wing. So there. 

Notes: This is why some author's take three whole years to get the sequel to a novel out. It's also why we hate said author and throw sticks at their houses…

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And with this ring i wed thee true 

And with this ring i wed thee now 

And with this ring i play so dead 

But no one's asking for the truth, 

- Thru the Eyes of Ruby

Smashing Pumpkins

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Shadow Embraced – Chapter 3

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I met Loki the same time I met Midii. That's about the only thing I have to thank him for. Of course, I had heard about Loki long before I ever met him. Gossip in the vampyre world runs rapid and a crazy, human hating vampyre like Loki was hot news. And I had also met some of his flunkies at a party once. I was not impressed. 

But I met the living legend on July sixth, A.C. 194, on L3. I was there following the recent uprisings between the people and the Alliance. Where there's war, there are plenty of good soldiers for me to munch. It was late, or early depending on how you look at it, about two in the morning when I saw Loki stumble unto into the streets, dragging behind him a young girl with long blond hair. Apparently she was a witch who was tossed out of her clan for loving a human and therefore no longer under the protection of the Witches' Counsel. I don't know how Loki had got a hold of her. She had much more power than he did, but I supposed that she must have been very new at this life of magic because her aura, although massive, was untapped except for a few raw bursts of power that shone through every now and then. 

She looked frightened. Loki looked gleeful. His minions followed close behind as he threw her down on the sidewalk, calling out vicious epithets at her. It was obvious that they would kill her, not for food, but for sport. That was one thing I could never stomach. I pulled away from the meal I had selected for myself and sauntered over to take a look. 

She was young, about the age I was before I was changed, and I couldn't help feeling sorry for the poor kid. Besides, Loki's antics were ruining my appetite. I also decided that I could use a good bondmate. So I told him to leave the girl alone, or I'd tear him a new asshole. 

He didn't take too kindly to my suggestion. 

But at the time I was stronger than any other vampyre in the district and Loki's psychic capabilities were no match for mine. He gave the kid up to me and basically accused me of being a lover of humans. I told him to blow it out his ear. 

So Loki and I aren't exactly on friendly terms. Not that I'd like to be friends with the nutcase. But still, it's best not to make enemies in my world. 

Oh well. I gained a very good friend out of the whole thing. Midii was eternally grateful to me for helping her out and we've been close ever since. 

But I digress. What I meant to say through all this rambling is that I don't like Loki and he doesn't like me. And when two vampyres that dislike each other meet on the street, it's usually a sign that something no so good is going to happen. In other words; standoff.

Dorothy Catalonia 

A.C. 196 

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Dorothy watched the form in front of her with wary eyes. Loki had not changed since the last time she saw him. His hair was still as black as ebony, like somebody had spilled a jar of ink over his head, and it trailed down past his shoulders in thick locks. His body was lean, almost skinny like he hadn't been eating well. His clothing was immaculately tailored, a grey suit and long indigo overcoat with crimson piping. A bit too flamboyant for Dorothy's taste. His skin was very pale, a characteristic of all vampyres, and his lips were bright red, either from some kind of cosmetic or a recent meal of human blood. Dorothy voted for the latter.

"What are you doing here Loki?" she asked, bluntly.

His smile did not quite reach his ice blue eyes.

"Now, now," he chided, his voice chillingly soft. "Is that any way to talk to an old friend?"

"You were never my friend," Dorothy stated flatly. "In fact the last time we met you tried to kill Midii."

"She was mine first!" Loki shouted, losing his composure for an instant. Then he seemed to calm and his thin lips twisted into a half smirk. "But I grow tired of this old feud. You can keep your little bondling for all I care."

Dorothy winced at the term. "Bondling" was what they called the humans who lived in servitude of their respective vampyre "Masters". Although some became "bonded" by choice, most bondlings were just humans who served because they didn't want to die. When Dorothy took on Midii as a friend, she had to find some way of claiming her to keep her from being pounced on by all the other vampyres. So Midii agreed to be bonded to her, in return for the protection of Dorothy's name. Only a crazy vampyre would dream of harming the bondling of one the most powerful nosferatu on earth. But now that Dorothy's powers were waning, her names did not mean that much anymore…

"I wouldn't want to associate myself with humans anyway," Loki continued.

At this, Dorothy had to laugh. "Associate? Loki you eat them for Hel's sake! Like it or not, _their_ blood runs through _your_ veins and there's nothing you can do to change that if you want to stay alive."

"Isn't there?" Loki whispered and Dorothy fought back a shiver that tried to work its way through her body. 

__

'What does he mean by that?'

"I won't ask you again Loki. _Why are you here?_" Dorothy snapped, fear making her lose the calm she had shrouded around her like a cloak. 

"I have some business to take care of," Loki said, casually, flicking invisible dust off his sleeve. "Have you heard the latest prophecy that _Lunis_ has put forth?"

Dorothy cocked her head suspiciously. "I've never been one to pay attention to that psychic mystic shit. Then again, neither have you…"

"I know, but this time something caught my eye. And I quote: 

"_From the blood of one will come a new era, where the mortal shall crawl and the immortal shall rise. When Death's mistress succumbs to the shadow embraced, when the silencer screams, when the dragon falls from the sky, the circle shall be broken. Behold the Key, who shall become one with the earth and space. Only once Entropy devours the Key can Death roam free…"_

Dorothy blinked, trying to understand the rather obscure passage. She gave up.

"Sounds like a bunch of nonsense to me."

"Of course it does," Loki replied in a condescending tone that made Dorothy want to smack him. "But don't you find it a bit strange that it uses your name?"

Dorothy blinked again. "My name?"

"Of course. Didn't you once used to be called Entropy?"

Memories assaulted Dorothy's mind. She saw herself back before the wars, back before the Gundams, back before there were space colonies, back when she ruled the Underground and the mere mention of her name caused the others to shrink in fear. She saw herself in a dark room with the bodies of those who angered her at her feet and goblets upon goblets of blood being passed around like so much red wine. She saw herself calling row upon row of humans with her mind, watching with a cruel smile as they fell over themselves to die at her hands. She saw millions of minions calling out her name…_Danica L'entropie! Vive L'entropie! Vive DeLamanka! Vive! Vive…_

She shook her head vigorously.

"I am no longer that person," she told Loki, a cold glint in her eyes.

"I know," he sighed. "More's the pity. I just thought you might be interested in knowing the end of the world involves you some how. Guess I was wrong."

"The end of the world?"

Loki smiled. "Oh come now, "…_once Entropy devours the Key can Death roam free…"_ what else could it be but the end of the world? And I wanna be around to see it."

"I hate to burst your bubble honey, but I'm not gonna be devouring anybody anytime soon so you can just get back on your little spaceship back to L3, okay?" Dorothy growled back.

Loki just smiled wider and bowed slightly at the waist. 

"We'll see about that," he said, walking off slowly. "We'll see…"

Dorothy watched his form get further and further away, feeling the tension leave her body as soon as he rounded a corner and he could no longer see him. 

'Well…that was strange.'

She shrugged off the uneasy feeling the meeting had left her with and continued on her way through the dirty streets towards Maxwell's Garage.

Just because Duo told her not to come around Hilde anymore, didn't mean Dorothy was actually going to listen to him. Besides, if Duo really was going to propose to Hilde sometime tonight, she needed to look her best and that meant she needed a new outfit, which meant…clothes shopping! And who else would Hilde take shopping with her then her best friend Doro-chan? 

With that thought in mind, Dorothy swung through the shop doors and pattered around the various bits of machinery that littered the floor. 

"Hiiiiiiiilde! Where arrrrrrrre youuuuuuu?" she yelled, causing many mechanics to stop what they were doing and look at her strangely before turning back to their work. It was Maxwell's Garage. They were used to weird chicks coming in and yelling out names. Especially when their boss had his friend with the spandex over.

Dorothy peeked into the office room window and found Hilde sitting at her desk, going over shipment costs on her computer. Surprised, the small German girl looked up when Dorothy flung open the door and burst into the room, dragging her to her feet.

"Dorothy! What are you doing—"

Dorothy ignored the girl's puzzled questions and proceeded in hauling her out of the office, grabbing her coat and beret from a rack by the door and gathering up Hilde's purse as she went.

"No time to explain. Must shop now," she said, pulling Hilde by the hand and handing her the coat.

Seeing as how Dorothy wasn't about to give her an explanation any time soon, Hilde gave an apologetic wave to the mechanics who were now watching curiously as her friend dragged her out into the street, and put on the jacket and hat.

Once outside, Dorothy hailed a taxi and ordered it to take them to the mall. Hilde smiled and placed her purse in her lap. She had really wanted to take a break from work but her guilty conscious wouldn't let her, even though it had been a couple weeks since her last day off. She was glad that Dorothy sprang one of her impromptu shopping sprees on her, but she really would have appreciated some warning first.

__

'Aw, who am I kidding?' she thought. _'If I had got some warning I would probably have found a reason to put it off. And I need a break dammit!'_

"So Doro-chan," she said out loud, "what brought this intense need to shop on?"

"Oh nothing," Dorothy said innocently. "I just need to find an outfit for one of Quatre's dull parties and wanted some company."

Hilde muffled a giggle with her hand.

"Oh come on, they can't be that bad," she protested.

Dorothy looked at her in mock horror.

"Are you kidding? The last time I went to one of those stupid Winner Corporation functions I had to listen to two morons discuss door furnishings. _Door furnishings!_ Do you _know_ how boring that is?"

"Oh I can guess. But what's wrong with that dress you got last week. You know, the blue silk with green edging?"

Dorothy fiddled in her seat in sudden embarrassment.

"It got kinda…ripped."

Hilde smiled knowingly. "Gee, I didn't know Quatre was so forceful," she remarked innocently.

Dorothy growled and whapped her on the arm.

"Shut up you skank."

"Hoe."

"Whore."

"Bitch."

"Why thank you."

Both girl erupted into giggles and Dorothy remembered just why she had spent so much time with humans instead of her own kind. Most vampyres had _no_ sense of humor. And none of them liked shopping quite so much as Hilde did.

"We're here," Dorothy announced as they pulled up to the shining chrome monstrosity that was Chasmen-Perry Department Store. It hadn't changed much since when they first built it fifty years ago, but only Dorothy could really say so for sure without being accused of senility. And it still had the best designer dresses for good prices on Earth.

"Come on," Dorothy said, thrusting a handful of bills at the taxi driver and dragging Hilde out of the car and in through the revolving front doors. "We don't wanna miss the sales!"

Hilde laughed and let herself be dragged, letting herself relax as her friend chattered about the various tacky window displays. 

The girls mall-trodded like experts, bypassing stores that were too expensive or too tacky or too weird, all though Dorothy _did_ enjoy poking around the "it" store for oddities. There were just so many things you could do with rubber! But after a while, their feet began to hurt and Hilde's stomach growled impatiently. It was time for a rest.

Plopping herself down in one of the green plastic café chairs, Dorothy sighed and looked rubbed her feet mournfully. 

"Fifteen stores and we haven't found any outfits worthy of our attention! What's the world coming to?"

Hilde smiled and examined her menu with much interest.

"Don't worry. Something will jump out of us. But right now I need a drink and some cheesecake!"

Dorothy licked her lips.

"Oh yeah, I'm all for that. And a good strong margarita too. I've had a tough morning."

"Aw," Hilde teased. "Was Quatre too rough in bed? Or maybe you just didn't get to fuck last night…I know! The Maguanac's wanted in on the action, right?"

Dorothy winced at the mental image and shuddered a bit.

"Now I really do need that drink. You are one sick puppy, you know that Hil?"

"Yep," Hilde crowed, one hand flagging down the waiter. "But that's why you love me."

Dorothy rolled her eyes. "I'd hate to see what kind of kids you and Maxwell will have."

Hilde blinked. "Kids? With Duo?!"

"Why not? Doncha love him?"

Hilde blushed and hid behind her menu.

"Well yeah but…he's probably never gonna ask me to marry him. He's too afraid of commitment," she explained.

Dorothy grinned a bit.

"Oh really?"

'Boy is she going to get a surprise tonight. Wish I could see the expression on her face when he gets down on one knee…'

"What about you Doro-chan," Hilde asked, wanting the focus to be off her. "When are you gonna start pumping out little blond cherubs with ice-blue eyes and little plastic fencing swords, hmmm?"

A moment of sadness caught Dorothy off guard. She knew she could never have children. No living thing ever came out of a dead body. But it never really effected her until now. How would Quatre feel if he knew that she could not produce the heir he so desperately longed for? 

"Earth to Dorothy…come in Dorothy!" Hilde waved her hand in front of Dorothy's face, bringing her back to the present with a start.

"Huh?" She asked blearily.

"You spaced out on me for a moment," Hilde said, looking worried. "Anything you wanna tell me?"

Dorothy smiled at her friend.

"Yeah…I want the rest of your cheesecake."

Laughing, Hilde took her own fork and blocked Dorothy's path to her plate.

"You'll have to fight me for it," she said wickedly.

"Gladly," Dorothy agreed, and silverware met with a clang. It was terribly bad etiquette but it was loads of fun, and the two girls didn't mind the stares they were getting from the other patrons. Sometimes it was just good to be a kid again.

After losing the fork war, Hilde and Dorothy once again set off to find the perfect cocktail dress. They came across a small store that mainly stocked wedding dresses but had a few items that were less formal. What caught Dorothy's eye was the shimmering violet sheath that was displayed in the window.

"Wow…"

Hilde nodded, silently agreeing.

"That would look so perfect on you!" Dorothy squealed, dragging Hilde into the store.

Hilde protested. "Me?! We're supposed to be shopping for you!"

"Oh come on," Dorothy prodded. "Just try it on. You know you want to."

Deciding that arguing with Dorothy was a losing battle, Hilde found herself shoved into the small change room with the shimmering mass of violet satin in her hands.

When she walked out of the room and caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror, even she had to admit that the effect was stunning. The dress was long and sleeveless with a high neckline that flowed over her shoulders into a very low back. There was a slit up the side with showed a creamy expanse of leg and the clingy fabric hugged her curves like a second skin, giving just the right effect of sexy yet tasteful. 

"You look like a dream," Dorothy sighed. "You _have_ to buy it!"

Hilde smiled ruefully and looked down at the price tag.

"Are you kidding? This costs more than the new shipment of parts we just got in. I can't afford this. Not in a million years."

"Bah!" Dorothy sneered, waving the excuses away. "Like _that_ should have anything to do with it. I'll pay for it."

Hilde's eyes opened wide with shock. "I can't let you spend your money like that!" she protested.

"Who said I was gong to spend _my_ money?" Dorothy shrugged. "Quatre gives me quite a large amount for my upkeeping. Can't imagine why. Even he should know that an apartment in Soho doesn't cost _that_ much."

After much persuasion (but not _too_ much) Hilde found herself packed back into a taxi with a large box, purple ribbon tied tightly around it. A bit dazed about the whole affair, Hilde could only watch as the driver pulled up to her house and stopped. She could only sit in shock until Dorothy booted her out the door.

"Have fun with your new outfit," Dorothy called, waggling her fingers at Hilde.

"B-but we didn't even find _you_ a new dress," she wailed.

Dorothy rolled her eyes. "I can just fix the other one. Don't worry about it. Just relax for a change. And for God's sake do something with your hair! It looks like you were caught in an oil spill or something. Bye!"

The window rolled up and the taxi drove away, leaving Hilde to stare after it helplessly.

"But where the hell am I gonna wear this thing?!" 

Receiving no answer from the exhaust fumes that rose up at her, Hilde sighed and walked up to her front door, searching for the keys in her purse.

'Well I can't wait to see Duo's face when he catches me in this dress. Maybe I should demand that he take me out to dinner tonight so I have an excuse to wear it…'

On the counter, Hilde found a note from her absent lover.

"Hey sweet thing!

Listen, I'm gonna be a bit late tonight but don't bother cooking anything. When I get home we're going out! Tonight's gonna be special. Wear something sexy (wink wink) ^__^

Love, 

Duo"

Hilde stared at the note and then at the box in her arms. 

'…hm. I'll have to ask Quatre if his ESP is catching.' To Be Continued…

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Cherry Blossom: …..

Matteo: Don't you have anything to say? 

Cherry Blossom: Too tired. Can't come up with funny commentary. Need pocky.

Melpomene: This must be "no speaking in complete sentences day".

Cherry Blossom: Hurt you. Badly.

Matteo: ::sigh:: Okay basically if you liked the story and want to see it continue, review. If you hated the story and would like to see it burn…

Melpomene: Try ripping it to shreds in a funny MST!

Cherry Blossom: ::glare:: Die you!

Matteo: Bye folks! 


End file.
